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‘Can’t defend themselves’: Mother says Clover teacher dragged, tossed 4-year-old son

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CLOVER, S.C. — A York County mother wants a teacher charged and her license revoked after she says a teacher dragged and tossed her four-year-old child with special needs.

Erykah Bigger initially made the claims on social media and said it was all caught on video by another staff member.

“The first video was her grabbing him by the arm and essentially dragging him between the class desks and yelling at him and she just kind of slung him off to the side at the end,” Bigger said.

The incident happened in October, Bigger said. But she didn’t know about it until December when an incident report was filed with the York County Sheriff’s Office.

And she wishes she had known about it sooner.

“There’s no telling what happened within the two months that video was in the possession within that classroom,” Bigger said.

There are two videos, Bigger said. One shows the teacher dragging and tossing her son, and the other shows the teacher grabbing him and yelling.

“The first video, I cried,” Bigger said.

A spokesperson said the teacher involved hasn’t worked with the Clover Schools District since Dec. 6, 2024, five days after the incident report was filed.

Districts are required to report instances of teacher misconduct to the South Carolina Department of Education. Teacher conduct is reviewed by the State Board of Education and licensure decisions are made by them.

The solicitor told Channel 9 that the videos were disturbing, but his team did not believe a case would result in a guilty verdict from a jury. The school district said it followed all state laws and board policies in addressing the matter.

But Bigger said she thinks more should be done.

“I should not have to worry about sending my kid to school and wondering if he’s safe with the people who are sent there to teach him,” she said.

Bigger said she thinks the teacher involved should be charged.

“Something needs to be done with her teacher’s license,” Bigger said.

And she said the employee who took the video should have reported it immediately.

“A lot of these kids are nonverbal,” Bigger said. “They can’t defend themselves.”

Classroom teacher statement

The teacher, who didn’t want to be identified, sent Channel 9 a statement that stated that she understands the frustration the mother has over how the situation was handled.

“I want to make it clear that I did not harm this student, nor was it ever my intention to do so,” the teacher said. “My primary concern at the time was ensuring the safety of all students in the classroom, including this student.”

The teacher said there was a disruption that was not in the video.

The disruption “was negatively affecting other students’ well-being and safety, prompting the decision to remove this student,” the teacher said. “Without support from the staff member recording, I had to act quickly to move the student to the mat, which may not have been fully captured in the video. Given the limited space and other safety concerns, I wasn’t able to remove the other students as quickly as I would have liked.”

She said she is worried about her family’s safety because of the social media backlash surrounding the allegations.

The teacher also stated that it has affected her new career outside the classroom.

“It is important to recognize that not everyone has experienced the challenges of working in a classroom with limited support, where quick decisions are necessary,” the teacher said. “I care deeply for every student I’ve ever taught, and I know they are loved and valued.”

District statement

In response to the concern surrounding the event, Clover School District issued the following statement:

“Clover School District (CSD) is aware of a post circulating on social media about an incident at Bethel Elementary. We cannot comment on personnel matters raised in that post.

“We can confirm that the teacher named in the social media post is not currently employed by CSD or Bethel Elementary and has not been since December 6.

“When concerns of any nature are raised, school and district administrators immediately investigate and engage other local and state agencies as needed. Bethel Elementary and CSD followed all state laws and board policies in addressing these allegations expeditiously.

“The safety and security of all students and staff is the top priority of the Clover School District.”


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